San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-01-24
CONGREGATIONS.
SATURDAY NIGHTS FIRE RECORD IN
SAN ANTONIO.

SAN ANTONIO.
| Large Destruction of Property-N
| Work by the Firemen-Mys-
terious Fires, Etc.
Saturday night last will long be re-
membered by San Antonio citizens. and
| firemen In particular, as a night OF Dig
/ fires. Early In the evening, nj 7:2O
o'clock. fire was discovered by Mr.. Ed
FfobVese, jr., and WIN. SutOr (Red) In
the stables situated under the rear end
Of Landa's hay and grain depot, corner
! OF DolUrOsa street and Military plaza.
| The fire was Of mysterious character,
and no one could tell just how IL began,
but IL spread more rapidly than any IRE
San Antonio has ever had. The two
Young men who discovered the fire gave
| The alarm. and Red went to work with
an axe trying TO extricate the four horses
confined In the little iron-clad stable.
| The door Of exit being chained, he broke
| down the door and succeeded in getting
one horse out alive, but II was badly
scorched. The remaining three horses
were burnt alive being first suffocsted by
the smoke. The lire spread so rapidly
that they could not be extricated. Sew
eral sets Of harness and other
articles In the cellar were also
burned. The fire department ar
rived very quickly after the alarm was
sounded, fir- engine No. !, getting up
steam while coming across the plaZas.
The three streams from this engine
were soon playing upon the burning
BUILDING, which was now totally en-
veloped In flames and the fire was rapidly
spreading to the adjoining buildings.
Turner Hook and Ladder company and
the Second ward Hose company soon
arrived. and the Hook and Ladder boys
attached TO a plug on DolOrOsa street
and did good work In the rear or the
burning buildings next to the Fashion
theatre which was catching from an
iron clad next to it. In fact the exer-
tiOns OF the Hook and Ladder boys really
saved the Fashion theatre building. The
Second ward Hose company attached to
hydrant on Commerce street, near the
orphan asylum and began playing on the
front of the buildings. Company NO. z,
with their engine with two streams, ar
rived and began throwing on the water
from the front n 10 men boldly took
the noZzles and walked into the burning
mass, doing good service. The Sunset
Hose company and the Mission
Hose company attached on Doc
rosa street and worked from
that side, and soon there
were eight good streams playing upon
the fire, which had now envelOped the
corner as far I'D as the Fashion theatre
and MIR Fest's new addition to the build
ing. The firemen even went inside the
burning buildings, trying to save the
books and ledgers of the merchants, and
| two frtmen were so overcome with
smoke that they with difficulty reached
the outside again. Some soldier boys
of light battery happened along and
worked with the tireIDen. Captain Shar-
d-in and his police fore, numbering
about fifteen men, were stationed 1t the
edge OF the large crowd, which mum
| b.red away in the thousands, and
greatly helnfd the tiremen by keeping
the crowd back out Of the way. The
bremen of the city never worked harder
or to more purpose at a fire, and TO their
| eff .rts and the absence OF strong wind
is due the salvation OF the entire block
on the west aide Of Military plaza. At
one time IL looked equally for the Fashion
theatre folks, and the doors OF the saloon
were closed and Captain Samuels and
the Messrs. Michael gave their orders ia
their employs to prepare to move OUT
| everything OF value. The safe was
locked with the books, money and other
articles # value therein, besides
the fine wardrObes and other appuTIen-
ances of the theatre were removed to
place of safety. Even the owner Of the
grain and commission building next TO
the Fashion on the north side began TO
move. and great feeling of relief passed
| over these gentlemen, when, after one
hour and half Of hard fighting, the fire.
men got The flames under control. The
Fashion theatre then opened its doors
and to all the firemen Set out such slim
ulants rs the tired and wetted men
needed. The burned out portion em
braced Issy Landa, hay and grain; Van
dersturken & Co, commission brokers;
building owned by John Iilg; Adolph
Goldman. groceries and provisions,
building owned by Simon Fest, ST.;
Abraham Cohen, hides and cotton build
ing owned by S. Fest; Cassiano & Crow
Their, hides and commission, building
owned by S. Fest, and the new two
story building next to the Fashion thea
tire, also owned by S. Fest. This latter
fire as much as by water, but
the damage is very heavy. The
building had been completed and was
delivered TO Mr.. Fest Saturday by the
architect. 1t had not been insured. The
damage to the Fashion theatre by the
water is estimated at So 600.
A second alarm was sounded after the
firemen had left and the department was
again called out TO the scene Of the fire,
the mass again ignitiDg. This was ex-
tinguished In quick time.
At 4 o'clock Sunday morning the
third alarm rang out and the tiremen
again sprang to their work. This fire
was found in the Fischer building, two
stories, on Commerce street, next to
George Hoerner's saloon. This was
occupied, cellar and first floor by s. l.
Fox, gents furnishing goods, and second
floor by Mr.. Fox and his brother-in-law,
Mr.. Mandl, with Mrs. Mandl and baby
and q servant girl as sleeping rooms.
The inmates were asleep but were
| reused and rescued by means ofa ladder
put up to the front awning by Mack
Anderson, Jr., Hugo Potchiusky, Lucien
Lacoste and others. The servant saved
her trunk by throwing 1t into the street,
but none of the occupants had much
time to clothe themselves. The fire was
found to be in the cellar, which con-
tanned firewood. and 1t soon spread to
the first floor where 1t made rapid de-
struction. The firemen worked for half
an hour at this fire and succeeded in
getting it under control, though at n
great loss to the stock Of goods and fix
lures OF the store, which were damaged
greatly by water. After the tiremen left
the blaze sprsDg up In the cellar and an
other alarm was sounded, which
brought Fire Co No. back to complete
their work. The adjoining buildings cid
not burn. nor we're they scOrched. MIR.